e’ve
all heard the saying “justice delayed is justice denied.” That
maxim has been around since time immemorial. In fact the Pirkei Avot (Hebrew
for “Ethics of the Fathers”) which dates back to the 1st century
B.C. mentions an old rabbi saying that goes: “the sword comes into the
world, because of justice delayed and justice denied." In 1215 A.D. a clause
from the Magna Carta similarly declares that “to no one will we refuse or
delay, right or justice."

In the United States the
Sixth Amendment to the Constitution clearly states that “the accused shall
enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial.” The Reverend Martin Luther
King, Jr., noted in a letter written in 1963 that "justice too long delayed
is justice denied." And the late Chief Justice of the United States, Warren
E. Burger, in his 1970 address to the American Bar Association stated that
"inefficiency and delay will drain even a just judgment of its value.”

So what in heaven’s name
happened to our Philippine justice system where court cases usually take
decades to be resolved? Compared to those in well-functioning democracies,
our justice system appears to be little more than a joke at best.

Here’s how we see it:
overseas Filipino workers (OFW) are doing a herculean job of continually
strengthening the Philippine economy—not just keeping it afloat. But their
effort will be all for naught if Philippine courts continue to drag their
feet dispensing justice. The Ampatuan massacre is now five years old and
counting but the trial is barely past its preliminary stages. President
Aquino was still a senator when the massacre happened. He’ll soon be
stepping down after six years as president but the court case has barely
gotten off the ground.

In our previous editorial,
we talked about Amal Alamuddin Clooney bringing former President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo’s detention to the attention of the United Nations. Arroyo
has been under hospital arrest since November 18, 2011, but, her court case
has not even started. It is no wonder that Clooney and others see the
lumbering pace with which our justice system operates as a violation of
Arroyo’s human rights. The unintended consequence of all these this is that
Arroyo and the Ampatuans are now seen as victims of injustice.

But there is a
silver-lining to all this. The Philippine economy is now a lot more robust
then ever—thanks to the millions of OFWs sending home tens of billions of
dollars each year. The Philippines can readily afford to double the size of
its judiciary—even triple it if necessary. With more courts and judges,
backlogs would be significantly reduced or eliminated altogether. Congress
can also help by passing laws that set limits on how long court cases can be
allowed to drag on.

Everyone is aware that the
status quo is ultimately unworkable. It forces Filipinos to resign
themselves to the fact that the country’s judicial system is unable to
dispense justice in a timely manner. The result is that, more and more,
people will take matters into their own hands. Extra-judicial killings will
continue on an increase. If victims can’t get justice from the courts, they
will find other ways to “settle the score.”

Investors and tourists from
other countries will also see what is happening and stay away. Then, with
its worldwide image in tatters, the Philippines can never expect to match
the progress of its other Asian neighbors. So what we all must do is fix it.
Now! If we don’t, we condemn future generations of our countrymen to a life
of misery and poverty.
Published 3/17/2015

Philippines and China dispute to continue despite UN Tribunal case
MANILA - Despite the presence of a high-level Philippine team at the hearing of the Philippines’ case against China before the Arbitral Tribunal of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) this week, the issue of who owns the contested islands in the South China Sea will remain unresolved.

Gov’t branches unite to present arbitration case in The Hague
MANILA, July 6 -- The three branches of government have come together to present before the Arbitral Tribunal in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands the Philippine’s case against China’s excessive claims in the West Philippine Sea.

Palace: All avenues being used to find Binay's 'aides'
MANILA - Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said the government will exhaust all processes to determine the whereabouts of Vice President Jejomar Binay’s alleged aides Eduviges “Ebeng” Baloloy and Gerardo Limlingan.

ASEAN, EU discuss future direction of partnership
Senior officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) have gathered in Brussels for their 23rd Senior Officials' Meeting to review the two sides' enhanced partnership and discuss future direction, reports Vietnam News Agency (VNA).

Roxas to Mayor Binay: You’re not special, you don’t own Makati
Interior Secretary Mar Roxas urged Makati Mayor Junjun Binay to step aside. “This is not a telenovela or a drama about your family lording it over Makati
City. This is about the rule of law which says you are suspended by the
...READ
IT AT PHILIPPINES NEWS HEADLINES

House eyes ‘super body’ to prevent repeat of Torre de Manila issue
The House Committee on Metro Manila Development is looking at the creation of a “super body” that would help prevent issues similar to the Torre
de Manila construction. The super body would integrate and synchronize
...READ
IT AT PHILIPPINES NEWS HEADLINES

Junjun steps down
MANILA, Philippines - Saying he could not bear to see more people get hurt, suspended Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay
yesterday stepped down “temporarily,” ending a standoff that began
...READ
IT AT PHILIPPINES NEWS HEADLINES

Global carriers tag NAIA as ‘high-risk’ airport
MANILA, Philippines - Global airlines have tagged the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA)
as one of the high-risk airports in the Asia-Pacific region due to
unresolved safety concerns as well as poor infrastructure... READ
IT AT PHILIPPINES NEWS HEADLINES

Ombudsman orders filing of PDAF charges against 5 more former solons
Five more former congressmen, including members of the Liberal Party (LP), are facing graft and corruption charges in connection with the alleged illegal disbursement of their Priority Development Assistance
... READ
IT AT PHILIPPINES NEWS HEADLINES

Aquino blames previous admins for poor state of military
CLARK, Philippines — With about a year before he bows out of Malacañang, President Benigno Aquino
III scored the previous administrations once more during his keynote
speech at the Philippine Air Force’s 68th anniversary
...READ
IT AT PHILIPPINES NEWS HEADLINES

Veep Binay describes Aquino gov’t: Lazy, slow, indecisive
Where is the government? Vice President Jejomar Binay repeated this sentence throughout the 15-minute speech in Filipino as he delivered his sharpest words yet against the Aquino administration at launch
...READ
IT AT PHILIPPINES NEWS HEADLINES

ERC chief, ex-BOC head indicted for ‘pork’ misuse
MANILA, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman has trained its guns on administration allies by ordering the filing of criminal charges against former Bureau of Customs (BOC) commissioner Ruffy Biazon ...READ
IT AT PHILIPPINES NEWS HEADLINES

Erap skips party launch: ‘I'm not part of UNA’
Former President and incumbent Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada was absent during the launch of the United Nationalist Alliance as a political party because he was too busy with other matters, GMA
News
...READ
IT AT PHILIPPINES NEWS HEADLINES

Binay's defiance creates instability: Makati Business Club
MANILA – The Makati Business Club has expressed concern over developments involving the suspension of Makati Mayor Junjun Binay. In a statement, the group said Binay's
"defiance of the suspension order" up until he vacated
...READ
IT AT PHILIPPINES NEWS HEADLINES

Who Should be the Next President of the Philippines?Make no mistake, the next elections will be one of the most important—if not the most important—elections the country will ever have. Never since the Philippines gained self-determination in 1946 has it faced such an existential threat from a hostile foreign country as it now faces from China.
Published 6/23/2015

Pope’s Encyclical May Finally Get Filipinos to Change their Evil Environmental WaysPope Francis is about to issue an encyclical on climate change. The 200-page papal letter to Catholic bishops worldwide warns of "unprecedented destruction of the ecosystem" by the end of this century unless drastic changes are made to avert it. This encyclical could not have come any sooner for the Philippines.
Published 6/12/2015
Congress Wants Gloria Arroyo on House Arrest, Seriously?When President Benigno Aquino III, wasn’t looking (he was in Japan), the House of Representatives quickly passed a resolution urging the Sandiganbayan court to allow house arrest for detained Pampanga Representative and former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Published 6/12/2015
Grace Poe for Philippine President? Not So Fast!She is photogenic, carries herself well, and Filipinos all seem to love her. The question to ask though is whether the well-liked lady senator is ready to be the next president? Filipinos it seems have a penchant for electing young “celebrities” with zero experience into positions of power, then simply hope for the best with “bahala na ang Dios.”
Published 6/7/2015
Filipinos Need to Stand Tall In the Face of Chinese AggressionPresident Aquino made the right move by going to Japan to bolster Philippine-Japanese cooperation. While he might be “preaching to the choir” as far as the Japanese are concerned, he nonetheless needs to communicate the graveness of the situation the Philippines currently faces.
Published 6/2/2015
Rodrigo Duterte Must Never Become President of the PhilippinesAfter consistently maintaining that he had no intentions to seek higher office, Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte hinted that he might actually make a run for the presidency. There was no mention of those lofty intentions that most candidates for president parrot when they make that fateful announcement.
Published 5/29/2015
How Filipinos Can Stop China NowThe future of Filipinos will be nothing like their past. Each and every Filipino must realize this. The proverbial lackadaisical “Juan Tamad” lying under a guava tree in an idyllic Amorsolo painting-like setting will no longer exist. Instead a new reality like that of ancient Sparta or modern-day Israel will pervade. China is growing stronger every day and they are quickly turning into an aggressive, tyrannical power.
Published 5/23/2015
Pacman's GambleThe world now knows that while training for his May 2 “Fight of the Century” with undefeated world welterweight boxing champion Floyd Mayweather, Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao suffered a shoulder injury. According to his trainer, Freddie Roach, this mishap occurred on April 4 in a sparring session when he threw a right hook and his arm “got entangled with those of his sparring partner”.
Published 5/17/2015
Chinese Military Bases Under Construction on Philippine Reefs Must be Destroyed Now!This
is the reality: China’s military leaders are rushing the construction of
military bases in six different reef areas inside the Philippines’
exclusive 200 mile economic zone. The Philippines is doing nothing to
immediately stop it.
Published 5/10/2015
Is Vice President Jejomar Binay the Manchurian Candidate?It was made into two classic films, the first with Frank Sinatra in 1962 and the second with Denzel Washington in 2004. “The Manchurian Candidate”, the 1959 best-selling novel by Richard Condon, told the tale of a group of American soldiers captured during the Korean War who were taken to Manchuria, China where they were brainwashed by Chinese officials.
Published 5/3/2015
Pacmania Sweeps the WorldWalk down any big city in the Philippines and you feel the excitement gripping everyone; men and women, boxing aficionados or not. Sunday’s match (Manila-time) between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather
will have the country, glued to screens, large and small in major
metropolitan areas as well as far-flung rural barrios.
Published 4/29/2015
Mary Jane Veloso’s Execution Will Only Highlight the Dysfunction of Filipino SocietyOn the 28th of April, the Indonesian government will execute Filipina Mary Jane Veloso by firing squad. For this luckless young woman, it will be the culmination of a life that from the beginning, had been dealt a losing hand.
Published 4/25/2015
There Will Never be Lasting Peace with the Bangasamoro Basic LawIt is incomprehensible to many that despite all the negatives piling up against it, the Aquino administration is still pushing for Congress to ratify the Bangasamoro Basic Law (BBL). First and foremost, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front with whom the Philippine government entered into an agreement with, massacred 44 Special Action Force (SAF)
policemen who were serving an arrest warrant on an international
terrorist.
Published 4/18/2015